Balangir: To combat the rising heatwave in Titilagarh, initiatives for a long-term plan to turn the barren patches of Kumuda hills into green stretches have begun.

A team of forest officials, including Titilagarh range officer Jitendriya Nanda and Balangir's assistant conservator of forest Nalini Kanta Jaisingh accompanied by members of the Kumuda Pahad Surakshya Samiti surveyed the granite hill and explored the possibility to take up plantation. This, they feel, will provide relief to Titilagarh from the scorching heat.

Forest officials said they would send a project proposal to the government to take up plantation in the hill. The forest department had taken a similar drive a few years back, but it was stopped mid-way.

Titilagarh is one of the hottest places in the country with the mercury soaring to as high as 50°C in the summer months. This year, it has already touched 39°C on Tuesday. The town also faces acute water shortage during the summer as the water level goes down.

Secretary of Kumuda Pahad Surakshya Samiti Upendra Bag attributed the heatwave and water woes of Titilagarh to the barren granite Kumuda hill. "The high temperature of Titilagarh is due to the barren Kumuda hill. It absorbs the heat and this pushes up the temperature. There is need to grow forest in the hills near Titilagarh to address the heat wave and also the water woes," Bag said.

Titilagarh resident Bikash Panigrahi said that a similar project was taken up by the forest department a few years ago, but was abandoned mid-way. "An ambitious project to cool Titilagarh was taken up a few years back. It continued for a few years and local residents were hopeful of the project. But only the government knows why the project was dropped mid-way," he said.

After supervising the hill, the officials said that they would send an action plan for extensive plantation on the barren hill.